The present invention relates to a physical training apparatus to be used for the purpose of training persons such as athletes or physical therapy patients to improve various motor skills. More particularly, it relates to a physical training apparatus meant to be worn around the shoulders and torso of the trainee and which would, through the use of bungee cords and elastic tubing, provide varying degrees of tension and resistance to the trainee's torso and lower limbs during movement.
There are a number of circumstances that require precision of movement or where improving one's proprioception, kinesthetic awareness and neuromuscular facilitation can determine or improve a particular outcome. Resistance exercise and strength enhancement training in a way that promotes or improves natural motion or particular athletic movements can improve proprioception, kinesthetic awareness and neuromuscular facilitation and is thus beneficial to athletes and physical therapy patients alike.
Training with resistance while performing specific movements with the body has been found to be very effective in improving various physical abilities such as functional strength, running speed, first-step quickness, jumping ability, and kicking ability. Such resistance training is increasingly becoming favored over training with heavy weights using slow non-sports specific motions.
Elastic tubing, bungee cords and shock cords are commonly used devices for the purpose of providing resistance during movement and thus providing the impetus for muscles to grow or movement to be trained/re-trained or improved. In these instances the trainee can exert a force against the resistance of the elastic tubing or bungee cord as it stretches due to being secured or anchored to a stationary point at one end.
There are apparatuses, such as that found in U.S. Pat. No. 20,050,032,613 that incorporate elastic tubing and bungee cords for the purpose of providing resistance to oppose the motion of a trainee while either jumping, running or moving in a confined space. Other apparatuses utilize bungee cords attached at the ankle and waist in order to provide resistance to strengthen the posterior chain.
There remains a need in the art for a fully functional training device that, while strengthening and retraining those muscles in the lower limbs required for various movements, promotes isokinetic and isometric contractions as well as postural alignment during motion.